For many people, a career as a fashion designer is something to dream about if you’re creative, artistic and you dream big.

But while the road can be long and difficult, it’s only the best dreams that turn into the best realities, and rarely do they just fall into your lap – it will be hard, your beginnings may be humble, but you can do it.

Here’s a few pointers for how to get started:

1. Be passionate

A career in fashion is different, exciting and creative, and a rewarding outlet for your talents – but that’s not enough for you to really love it, warts and all. Precisely why people are passionate about things is somewhat mysterious, but that’s also what makes passion so amazing.

Only the most truly passionate will tackle the hard road, rather than the easy one, and relish the obstacles in their path. Only the truly passionate will keep getting up when they get knocked down, learn from criticism, and go above and beyond to achieve perfection through long hours, setbacks, and constantly striving for modest gains, rather than instant success.

2. Start at the bottom

Working as a successful and influential fashion designer might be the goal, but even those who scale Mount Everest crawled before they walked. So, set a dream, then set it aside and build the foundation.

Gain knowledge any way you can while honing your skills. Get a qualification. Push for and then accept anything that might give you experience – no matter what it is. It will get your foot in doors, build up your contact list, teach you lessons and give you somewhere to make those inevitable mistakes.

3. Build a brand

Fashion is one of those areas where following the lead may give you ideas, but it’s not going to get you anywhere alone. So think about what makes your vision different to what else is out there. Why should anyone buy your clothes or follow your trends, rather than the thousands of established alternatives? Who are you designing for? Why?

4. Work hard

If you’re getting into fashion design for the champagne and the catwalk parties, think again. It’s a hard, stressful and fast-moving world with extremely long hours, where the initial successes will be those butterflies in the stomach when someone tells you they love your product. Then you’ll go back to the drawing board to create something that will be even more inspirational.

Can you think of anything else that will help those on the long road to fashion stardom, or help to inspire the next generation of influential designers? We’d love to hear from you.

By their very nature, trends are hard to follow, and being a trendsetter is extremely tough. Only the coolest people seem to have their finger on the racing pulse of the fashion world, leaving the rest of us scrambling to keep up and looking more like sheep.

But although fashion is a fast-moving world and a cutthroat industry, there are a few ways to keep up:

1. Shop – A Lot

Strolling the shopping mall is not just to grab some bread, milk and an occasional new pair of jeans. Pop into all the best fashion outlets, and do it regularly, because no one knows what people are buying better than those who are selling.

Even high street shops have their finger on the pulse, converting the latest trends from the catwalk into clothes at reasonable prices and taking off the shelf things that are ‘so last week’.

2. Buy Magazines

Perhaps sharing the prize with retailers for people in the know when it comes to fashion trends are fashion journalists. The good news is that fashion magazines are monthly, weekly and also now online and updated 24/7, so there’s no excuse for being five minutes behind the times.

3. Fashion Week

The question ‘What’s about to happen in fashion?’ has a two word answer: ‘Fashion week’. Designers and brands hold their fashion industry events a couple of times a year, and the big ones are New York, London, Milan and Paris – so look up when they’re happening, tune in and stay ahead of the curve.

4. Use Social Media

Arguably even better than getting it from a fashion journalist’s mind is to get it straight from the horse’s mouth – so thank you Twitter and Instagram! People who are actually in the fashion industry, including designers and models, are using social media just like you, and following your favourite celebrities is another great way to keep up with all the latest trends.

5. Look At What The Nearest Trendsetter Is Doing

Yes, it’s as simple as keeping your eyes open, particularly when you’re in the high end of town. Those with money tend to be right on the money when it comes to knowing and even setting the fashion trends, but the same applies to high street and street fashion as well.

Also, be sure to keep looking around online, as the world of fashion and retail has a greater online exposure today than ever before! Check out our page of designers for some immediate inspiration!

Is there anything we’ve missed when it comes to being a trendsetter rather than a fashion sheep? We’d love to some tips hear from you!